Sheet metal surfacing material



April 18, 1950 E. F. Moos SHEET METAL SURFACING MATERIAL Filed March 10, 1947' 512N557- F M005 Patented Apr. 18, 1950 SHEET METAL SURFACIN G MATERIAL Ernest F. Moos, Shreveport, La.

Application March 10, 1947, Serial No. 733,603

1 Claim.

My invention relates to sheet metal surfacing material of the type adapted for roof and sides of buildings or the like, but more particularly to the type of surfacing material having lineal corrugations equally spaced along its transverse width, which corrugations are adapted to overlap duplicate corrugations of other sheets of the same material with the intention of forming a leak-proof joint in the roof or sides of a building.

In the conventional type of corrugated sheet metal surfacing material the sheets are laid transversely in overlapping relationship along their marginal edges. The overlapped portions of the roofing material are nailed to suitable purlins on the roof or sides of the building, the overlapping corrugations supposedly serving as a leak-proof joint between the two sheets.

It has been found, however, by those familiarwith the actual application of this type of surfacing material, that in spite of the overlapping of the corrugated portions of adjacent sheets, Water will, under certain circumstances, seep between the two layers of material and consequently cause a leak in the building. This leaking is attributed to the capillary attraction. of water that falls on the roof by the closely spaced overlapped roof materials. It has been found that capillary attraction will cause water to be drawn over several raised corrugations of over f lapping material and drip down between the supporting purlins into the building.

The same condition is also found where this type of surfacing material is applied to the sides of a building, especially if a blowing rain is di rected at the proper angle. In this instance the pressure of the wind assists capillary attraction of the water in causing it to seep through the overlapping marginal portions of the surfacing material.

The main object of my invention therefore. is to provide a surface covering material of the corrugated sheet-metal type which. includes novel means on the overlapping edges of the sheets adapted to make a water-tight ioint at the overlapped edges of the joined sheets to prevent water from seeping through the joint.

Another object of my invention is to provide a surface covering material wherein the overlapping edges are constructed to form a resilient joint by the action of one sheet against another when the sheets are applied as covering to surface. 7

Another object of my invention is to provide means on the overlapping edge portions of corrugated roofing material for spacing the overlapped portions suiliciently far enough apart to defeat capillary attraction of water. a cause of leakage'encountered in joints of this material used in prior art construction.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in a construction and arrangement'of parts more clearly pointed out in. the accompanying drawings and defined in the appended claim.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a partially broken perspective view showing an embodiment of my invention in a surfacing material as applied to the roof and sides of a building.

Figure 2 is an end view of a single sheet of my surfacing material.

Figure 3 is an enlarged broken cross-sectional view of the marginal side edges of two sheets of my surfacing material attached in overlapping relationship to a purlin or the like.

Figure 4: is a broken cross-sectional View of a side edge of my surfacing material in a modified form.

In the drawing numerals M, H, and i2 designate the studding, top plate and ceiling rafters respectively, of a building or the like. As can be seen here my surfacing material may be applied directly to the studs ill as a siding material or may be laid across purlins l3 as roofing. It is intended that my surfacing material be manufactured in single sheets M simulating the conventional corrugated sheet-metal material well known to builders. My improvement, however, to the conventional corrugated metal sheet or other types of corrugated roofing or siding sheets consists in a novel arrangement and construction on the side edges of the sheets which I shall now describe.

In Figure 2 it can be seen that the roofing embodying my invention simulates the standard corrugated metal sheet familiar to builders, in which the corrugations are equally spaced and with a total over-all width equal to, or slightly greater than. the distance between standard stud spacings of a building or the like.

It will be remembered that the marginal side edges of a conventional metal roofing sheet te'r minates in semi-circular arcs with the outside edges falling approximately on the transverse central axis of the sheet. In this prior art type at least one and one-half overlaps of corrugations are recommended. This is done in an effort to minimize the force of capillary attraction which draws the water over and under the overlapped portions of corrugations.

Reference to F gure 3 will show the advantage of such construction as mentioned above. This figure shows two adiacent marginal edges of my surfacing sheets 14 in overlapping relationship as Even this amount of overlap has not prevented leakage,

applied to a roof. While manufacturers of prior art types corrugated roofing recommended that their roofing sheets be overlapped one and onehalf laps, in practice such material is overlapped often more in the making of a :roofin an attempt to make water-tight joints.

Since it is never necessary to overlap sheets of roofing material embodying my inventive improvements more than one and one-half laps to make a water-tight joint it will be seen that in actual practice a given number of sheets of roofing material made according toimywinvention will cover a greater roof surface or wall surface than an equivalent number of sheets of prior art corrugated roof sheets of the same length and width as improved roofing sheets.

.My *surfacingmateria'l is applied tothe roof purlins I 3 by suitable roofing nails It. When the overlap is made and the nails 18 are driven into the purlins l3, the edges of mysheets M and 14 are sprung from their normal position as shown by the dotted lines into a position where the inside edges-of the return bends 15 and l5 make frictional contact with the sheets M and M as-shown; "thus'makingatight seal for inter rupting the flow of water under the forces of capillary attraction. Should any water beblown or find its way beyond one of the return bends l5' or Iii into the hollow spaces I9 or l9, and

seek its way by capillaryattraction for the full :1

length of the overlap, it would be stopped in its travel by *the return bend that seals the opposite side of the overlap. The increase in spread of the two sheets at the overlapping portions of the joint would interrupt the force of capillary attraction and thereby stop the water in its travel and cause it to be trapped in one of the hollow spaces I9 or iii, from whence it will flow the full length of the sheet and out onto the roof. In any "case no :water would travel beyond the bends l5 and I5; not eventhat driven by wind pressure.

Itwill'be seenthat' both the marginal edge 'portions 'ofthe sheets "M and '14" aswell as the legs and ['6' of the return bends 1'5 and 15" offer resistance to the bending caused by nailing the sheets in'place. "Therefore, the overlapped sheets through the resiliency of the metal of which'they are constructed, form a ifrictionally engaged seal under pressure capable of preventing the "fiow of water :through theoverlapp'ed sheets except in'the case of tiny cracks that might occur from irregularities in edge portions of the joined sheets of material. As willbe explained later any :slight seepages of water will be arrested before such seepage water can travel entirely through the joint.

My invention in a surfacing :materlal :is highly advantageous in that no fitting, crimping or 10therwise extra work is required to make a com venient and permanent seal against leaks-caused by the capillary attraction of --water between overlapping sheets.

Such method 'of seal-ingagainst water leaks isjust .as zeffectivemagainst air, where it is desired .to seal against all .air leaks .in a building having a central system .of heating or cooling.

Figure 4 of .the drawing shows an embodiment o'fmy invention in modified .form. In this instance the pocket. of the return bend i5 is filled with a felt spacing strip 20. The-strip 20 may be held in the pocket l1 .byiglue or the like or may be simply packed into the pocket with the leg I6 forming a constricted opening to prevent the spacing strip 20 from coming out. While I have used felt by way .of illustration, it is understood that the spacing strip 2.0 may be made out of rubber, plastic or of any other material that is absorptive or water repellent in quality. Where the spacing strip 20 is incorporated any seepage-of water between adjacent sheets of my surfacing material due to irregularities in the edge of thematerial would either be absorbed or prevented from entering the joint. If any water entered from the opposite side of and reached the strip such water would be completely repelled back into the hollow spaces l9 between the sheets an'd be turned back son to the roof 'for ordinary drainage. It will be remembered that the same resilient contacts are made between the marginal edges of the sheets of :this .modifled type as are made in the above described preferred type.

Within the scope of my invention such packing strips may be applied to non-metallic roofing material such as corrugated asbestos, slate or. the In the case of such material the strips would be glued or manufactured into the edges of the sheetin alignment with'fthem'rand preferably fastened to the sheets 'in a manner'to align the strips evenly with the edges :or projecting slightly beyond the edges or" the sheet as illus trated in Figure '5 of the drawing.

Having thus described my invention, Icla'im:

A surfacing sheet consisting in atransversely flexible, lengthwise rigid, corrugated, rectangular sheet adapted to be :nailed in overlapping relationship along its marginal "longitudinal edge with a similarly corrugated sheet to the frameworkof a building ,or the like, wherein the side edges .of'said sheetiterminate inr'everse bends extending froma common side of the sheet defin ing elongated'sl'ots, zan-d :wherein the external longitudinally extending areas of saidwreverse bends extend inwardly and substantially parallel to the contiguous longitudinal marginal edge surfaces of saidisheet out of which theyavere formed,

whereby when a pair :of said sheets-are laid :in

REFERENCES CITED The following references --ar.eaof reccrdlin the file :of this patent:

UNITED STATES Number Name 1,220,463 .Schnug .i ..May 21, 19117 1,251,316 Weish D ec."25, 191'? 2,142,070 Little Dec. 27, 1938 2,302,9 l9 Palmer 'Nov. 24 1942 

